Fight Erupts on Senate floor: Senators Bribed by Big Pharma vs. Senators not Bought Off
By Byron Richards, CCN
May 2, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
As the Senate continues to debate the Big Pharma-friendly sweeping reform of the FDA a new problem for Big Pharma's prize Senators has erupted and quickly turned into confrontation on the floor of the Senate.
At stake is at least 10 billion dollars per year in exorbitant Big Pharma profits. In one corner is Big Pharma-puppet Orrin Hatch(R-UT), representing the Kennedy/Enzi drug cartel.
In the other corner is a majority of Senators lead by Byron Dorgan (D-ND).
At issue is an amendment that Dorgan has added to S1082, one that is vehemently opposed by the authors of the bill and by the White House. Dorgan's amendment calls for Americans to be able to purchase prescription drugs from other countries.
This would bring to an end the Big Pharma price-fixing scam that has Americans paying at least twice as much for the same drugs. Hatch unsuccessfully pleaded with Dorgan (while attacking him) to withdraw the amendment.
Bush is threatening to veto the entire bill if the Dorgan amendment is part of the legislation.
The Safety Scam
The Kennedy/Enzi/Hatch/Clinton drug-cartel Senators are now in a real jam. Dorgan has the votes to make his amendment stick. Hatch and company have argued unconvincingly that the Dorgan amendment would expose Americans to adulterated drug imports.
This is just another fake safety argument that holds no water and is being made solely to protect the excessive profits of Big Pharma (as is the entire bill).
It should now be crystal clear to the American public that those behind this legislation have been completely purchased by the Big Pharma lobby.
It is a complete joke that they are trying to pawn off this legislation as "safety legislation." This legislation is designed to protect Big Pharma profits for the next 50 years, and include new FDA regulatory powers that can be used to stamp out Big Pharma competition - including dietary supplements.
Let your Senators know that you support the Dorgan amendment.
A Vote is Likely on Thursday
Word from the hill is that all amendments and changes to this legislation will be finalized by Thursday and a vote will take place. In addition to the Dorgan amendment several other amendments are expected to come up - one very good and one very bad.
The good amendment will be proposed by Senator Grassley (R-IA) and will seek to create an independent office within the FDA to monitor the safety of drugs already on the market (this would be another big blow to this legislation).
The bad amendment will come from the vitamin-hating Dick Durbin (D-IL) who will try to place food safety legislation into this drug safety bill. Not only is his amendment completely irrelevant to this legislation, he will, as always, figure some way to attack dietary supplements. I'll keep you posted.
We must also get our amendment, THE PEOPLE'S AMMENDMENT, into this legislation (see action letter at following this article).
The People are Now Being Heard
We have word that the offices of Hatch, Harkin, Enzi, Kennedy, and many other Senators are being flooded by your concerns regarding what this bill can do to undermine health freedom and your access to dietary supplements. Their offices are seeking to tell those who get through that we are confused and that the legislation is not about dietary supplements.
Don't buy this for a second. We are not confused. The language in the bill is crystal clear. It is a sneaky and devious wording buried in the bill. The Senate drug cartel hoped we wouldn't notice.
On pages 106-107 it states:
"The purpose of the Foundation is to advance the mission of the Food and Drug Administration to modernize medical, veterinary, food, food ingredient, and cosmetic product development, accelerate innovation, and enhance product safety....The Foundation shall [take] into consideration the Critical Path reports and priorities published by the Food and Drug Administration, identify unmet needs in the development,manufacture, and evaluation of the safety and effectiveness, including post approval, of devices, including diagnostics, biologics, and drugs,and the safety of food, food ingredients, and cosmetics."
This language has been evaluated by Jonathan Emord, our nation's leading attorney that defends health freedom, the man who has beaten the FDA in court more than any other lawyer.
He states that this language gives the FDA, through this foundation, broad new regulatory power that it currently does not possess, including the authority to attack any dietary supplement (which are food ingredients).
A simple amendment to correct this problem has been prepared by Emord and is in the action letter that follows. WE ARE BEING HEARD. KEEP SENDING IN YOUR MESSAGES. There are two days to go. We can win this!
The Honorable (Senator First and Last Name) Address Address
Dear Senator [Last name here];
The issue of drug safety and access to drugs at a fair price is of the utmost importance to myself and all Americans. In general, I am opposed to Senate bill S1082: Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act, as it does not go far enough to protect myself and my family from the dangers of drugs.
As one of the 150 million Americans that rely on dietary supplements to keep myself and my family well, I am especially concerned that this legislation broadens FDA regulatory power to harass functional foods and dietary supplements -which has nothing whatsoever to do with drug safety.
It is vital that the terms "food" and "food ingredients" be removed from this legislation. There must be no confusing the safety of drugs and the safety of food and food ingredients - which are governed by different laws.
This bill authorizes, on pages 106-107, the creation of a new regulatory category that enables the FDA and the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA to attack dietary supplements and functional foods.
This problem in the wording can be corrected with this simple amendment - so as to be sure this legislation is about drugs and drug safety only.
Amendment to Bill S1082
Purpose of the amendment:
The bill, S1082: The Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act, is hereby amended to eliminate any reference to the terms food or food ingredients, such that food and food ingredients will not be subject to any jurisdiction or control by the Regan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration.
Intent of amendment:
To eliminate from the bill any possibility that food or food ingredients would be treated like drugs either for safety review purposes or for assessment of their efficacy. It is a fundamental tenet of food and drug law that foods and food ingredients are presumed to be safe and have to be established to be adulterated only if they present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury
I am in favor of the Dorgan amendment that enables Americans to get a fair price on prescription medication.
I am in favor of any Grassley amendment that offers an independent office within the FDA to monitor the safety of drugs already on the market.
I am opposed to the amendment being prepared by Durbin, as food safety is a completely different issue and must be kept out of drug safety legislation so that there can be no confusion between drug safety and food safety laws - which are quite different.
Sincerely, [Your name here]
For Health Freedom, John C. Hammell, President International Advocates for Health Freedom 556 Boundary Bay Road Point Roberts, WA 98281-8702 USA http://www.iahf.com [email protected] 800-333-2553 N.America 360-945-0352 World
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Google for email contact for your Senators.
Copy and paste letter-adding Senator's name and your signature.
Easy! Do it!
We can have an impact on this dreadful legislation!!!!
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
Thanks, Nan -
The Senate floor debates and comments on this Bill and amendments can be watched on C-SPAN 2 if anybody is interested.
Personally, I don't want this Bill to pass at all, so by supporting the Byron Dorgan Amendment, the President will veto the Bill (which in this case is a good thing for our cause here). (Don't get Byron Dorgan and Dick Durbin confused - Durbin has been an enemy of dietary supplements for years.)
If anybody has trouble supporting the Dorgan Amendment which calls for Americans to be able to purchase prescription drugs from other countries, then think about this for a minute......
A car company can move its factories to Mexico and claim it's a free market.
A toy company can out source to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a free market.
A shoe company can produce its shoes in Southeast Asia and it's a free market.
A major bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it's a free market.
We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico.
We can buy shirts made in Bangladesh.
We can purchase almost anything we want from 20 different countries.....
BUT heaven help the senior citizens who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian or Mexican pharmacy. That's called un-American and illegal, and our politicians want to stop it!
And you think the pharmaceutical companies don't have a powerful lobby? THINK AGAIN!!
And don't buy the excuse that they are worried about the ``safety'' of these drugs as Orin Hatch would have us believe. If that were really true, Hatch and others would be taking a whole different approach to this (too lengthy for discussion here).
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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I called the Kennedy office on Monday. The woman answering questions about the bill lied to me about everything.
She said I wouldn't be able to read the bill online till the next day, yet it was right there at thomas.loc.gov. So I called back and informed her of that fact.
She said Kennedy had not fast-tracked the bill. She said it would increase safety for drugs. She said it would not target supplements.
Then I told her: and no CODEX. Period. Someone ought to start a recall of these senators.
Amazing. Put the pressure on them. Tell them we know what's going on and it is totally unacceptable.
Posts: 13171 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
Interesting, Robin....
Oh, yeah, one other thing.....
One of the proposed amendments seeks to ``subject medical marijuana to the same standards and penalties as any other drug sold to patients''.
Anybody know which amendment that is (who proposed it)?
That one really cracks me up. How can we make FDA responsible for oversight for a ``drug'' that is totally illegal under federal law? So far, medical marijuana is legal ONLY under state law in certain states, but still illegal under federal law.
Does this mean that the FDA should set ``standards'' for the quality and safety of crack cocaine and heroin? How ridiculous.
Just last week, the FDA affirmed ``that a collection of federal agencies have together concluded that marijuana is both dangerous and medically valueless, based on scientific studies in humans and animals. The announcement--actually, it's an "inter-agency advisory"--concludes by asserting, with a boldness that might belie a certain uneasiness, that it is the FDA's job to approve drugs. (Take that, state legislatures and voters.)''
I'm sure the use of medical marijuana is cutting into the sale of Big Pharma's pain medications, and we can't have THAT.
This is insanity.
(BTW, in case it was unclear, I'm all in favor of medical marijuana and the right to grow it yourself. Take THAT, Big Pharma and the bought-and-paid-for politicians.)
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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this may be on here somewhere already, my apologies if i missed it.
can someone put in simple terms what we should say to whom on this?
i am very concerned about it, have no time to research current status, but would like to know what to ask for. simply "kill the bill?", or is it more complicated than that?
i see another post relating protection for Lyme in an ammendment within this bill, but don't we want the whole thing killed because basically it is a constitutional right to choose and have access to sources for your own medical care, no matter what the case may be?
and god knows a patient needs access to much more than just abx for recovery.
it's amazing that we have to fight off bills like this in the first place. it should never have gotten off the table.
mo
Posts: 8337 | From the other shore | Registered: Jul 2002
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Interesting thread...I'm a little confused how the FDA is going to regulate medical cannabis. As pointed out by Tfinder it's already illegal! Perhaps this allows the FDA the legal authority to raid the cannabis clubs. They'll sure have the budget for it (provided by BigPharma of course).
As to senators being bought...
Nevertheless, many senators whose positions were aligned with those of the drug industry in the current debate have raised large sums in recent years from pharmaceutical interests.
For example, eight senators co-sponsored an amendment requiring the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary to certify that importing drugs from other countries posed no increased risk. Dorgan and others said that amendment was designed to kill his proposal, since no official could make such a certification about any imported product.
Together, those eight senators - Democrats Tom Carper of Delaware, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Republicans Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett both of Utah, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Enzi - raised $1.6 million from drug company executives in the last six years, according to a USA TODAY analysis of figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan group that tracks campaign money.
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